


Complicated

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Stumptown (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotions, Episode s01e09 Dex Education, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27893887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: Alternate Grey/Dex ending to "Dex Education". Hoffman doesn't show up to the house but Grey still does, leading to a heartfelt talk and a shift in direction for Grey and Dex.
Relationships: Grey McConnell/Dex Parios
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Complicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theepiccek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theepiccek/gifts).



"I want to move out."

Dex was floored. Not literally, but she did sit down on the bed. "What?"

"I want to be a man," Ansel said. "I want to move out."

"Okay," Dex said. It was not okay, but she had to say something and she didn't want to say no, at least not outright. "But that's a big decision."

Ansel had prepared though. He'd researched. Dex was proud of him, as even as her heart broke.

"So?" Ansel asked when he'd finished explaining.

"Who'll make my coffee in the morning?" Dex asked, trying to sound light-hearted, though the words caught in her throat.

"I'll leave you instructions," Ansel said with a smile. "And I will come over for breakfast sometimes."

"Right." Dex stood. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

Ansel went to bed. Dex grabbed a towel and scrubbed at her hair before pinning it back. She pulled on a jacket and boots and grabbed her keys. She needed to move, and a walk seemed like the best option. No-one else was on the dark streets as she strode with vigour, though not purpose.

Her thoughts swirled around her, like a hurricane of the mind. She'd driven Hoffman away, and while she hoped they could remain friends (not to mention she needed a cop friend to do her job effectively) any chance of a romantic relationship seemed to have been dashed to pieces.

She'd destroyed Grey's relationship with Liz and he might never forgive her. She'd lost her 'office space', but worse she'd lost her best friend. Grey was always there, a constant in her life, reliable in a way only Ansel was.

But Ansel too was leaving her. She ought to be happy for him wanting more independence, and part of her was. If he didn't need her though, where did that leave her? She might have once baulked (just once) at the responsibility, but without it, what purpose did she have? To cause chaos in everyone else's lives, as Grey said?

The military was behind her. Benny was dead. She couldn't hold down a regular job. She'd found something good but that something, helping others as a private detective, was built around help and support from Grey and Hoffman and having Ansel to come home to.

She'd walked the block, was returning home, lost in a spiral of doubt and self-pity, eyes blurred with tears, when she heard a voice say, "Dex?"

Grey. She didn't want to see him, not when she was a mess. Couldn't take any more of his anger. She didn't raise her eyes to look at him, stared at the ground, hands in her pockets. "Hey," she mumbled.

"Can we talk?"

He didn't sound angry so she shrugged.

"Hey." He approached her, put one hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She bit at her lower lip, gave a sharp nod.

"Let's go inside."

Damn, she hadn't hidden her weakness well enough because his tone was soft now, handling her like a wounded animal he was afraid might bite. He put his arm around her, but she stopped at the threshold, sank down to the step.

Grey sat next to her. "Dex...Liz and I broke up."

"Sorry." Not sorry, not truly. Sorry for Grey that his relationship was in ruins, but not sorry that she'd exposed a lie. Grey deserved better than a liar.

Grey sighed. "We'll get through this. I still care about you, Dex. And I'm sorry for saying you'd destroy your business. I was hurt and I lashed out."

Dex blinked a few times, more in control once again. "You were right though. I cause chaos. I destroy everything. Miles, and you, and Ansel." She shook her head again, trying to banish treacherous tears.

"What about Ansel?" Grey asked, and the concern she heard touched her. No matter what happened between her and Grey, no matter what happened to Dex, Grey would always look out for Ansel. She loved him for that alone.

"He wants to move out."

"Really?"

"Really." Dex gave a wan smile. "He's done all his research. Wants to be more independent. I don't blame him. It just hurts that he doesn't need me."

"Dex, he'll always need you. Just like you'll always need him. He just needs some space, I guess." Grey stroked at his beard. "Let me talk to him tomorrow. I may have an idea."

"Thank you."

Grey put his hand on her knee. "I don't know what's going on between you and Hoffman–"

"–that makes two of us–"

"But," Grey said, ignoring the interruption, "you didn't destroy us. I'm here, aren't I?"

Dex nodded and she looked over at him and somehow that burst the dam.

"Dex." Grey wrapped his arms around her and he was warm and safe and smelled good and she gave in, shed a few tears, let out a few sobs into his shoulder.

After a few minutes of him stroking her back and making soothing noises, Dex pulled back a little. She gave a shaky laugh and wiped at her eyes. "Thank you."

"Can we please go inside? My butt's getting numb out here," Grey said.

Dex laughed and nodded. She led the way, poured them drinks, and they sat on the battered sofa.

*

Grey hadn't known exactly what he was going to say when he'd pulled up outside Dex's house. He'd watched with a frown as Dex headed out, walking quickly, hands in her pockets.

He sat in the car for a while debating what to do. He hadn't called out to her because while he thought he'd find the words once he was stood in front of her, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do so yelling across the street. Plus, for a moment, he'd thought she was heading off to talk to Hoffman, maybe try and make things right with him.

That didn't make sense of course. She'd have taken the car or at least an Uber. So where was she going? Grey switched to debating if he should follow her in the car or on foot.

He got out and walked up to the front door. Ansel would probably be in bed by now and Grey didn't want to disturb him. He paced back and forth. He took out his phone, considered calling Dex, put the phone away. He was not used to this level of indecisiveness but then Dex always made things complicated.

Finally, as he was about to get in the car and drive home he saw Dex heading back to the house. He felt a moment of relief, and of concern; she seemed lost in thought, utterly unaware of her surroundings in a way that seemed odd for an ex-marine out alone at night. 

"Dex?"

"Hey," she mumbled back.

He'd seen her drunk and he'd seen her caught in the throes of a PTSD flashback but he'd never seen her quite like this, a different kind of vulnerable somehow. It concerned him.

"Can we talk?"

If she'd said no he might have insisted, stood outside the house demanding to be let in, even if she called the police - hey, even if he had to call Hoffman for backup. But she let him sit beside her and soon he was holding her close.

Dex was more herself by the time they were sipping whiskey on the couch.

"You going to be okay?" Grey asked.

Dex nodded. "I'm trying. I made my bed. Soo Lin said I had to make my bed."

"And lie in it?" Grey asked, puzzled.

"No. Like," Dex gestured with her glass. "Order. Less chaos."

"Okay." Grey took another drink. "That's good."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Liz said..." Grey trailed off. "It doesn't matter what she said, it matters that I realise she was right. You're important to me, Dex. You're my friend. We're close and I care about you. I–I love you."

Dex nodded. "You're my best friend, you know that right? I love you too."

Grey closed his eyes for a moment. "Do you ever think if we could be more than this?"

"What?"

He blinked. "I know we both agreed on being friends but do you ever think about revisiting that decision?"

Dex leaned over for the bottle, refilled both their glasses. They both knew it was a way for her to have a moment to think.

"Sure," Dex said at last. "But it would make things complicated."

"You make everything complicated," Grey said without rancour. He put down his glass, rubbed at his face. "The question is, would you–could we–"

He gave in, leaned in and kissed her. She responded eagerly, warm and tasting of whiskey.

He sat back. "So?"

"I don't want to be a rebound," Dex said softly. "I don't want this just because I broke you and Liz up."

Grey nodded. "You're right. We should take some time. But what happened with Liz wasn't all your fault. Or mine, or hers; it couldn't work, I see that now. She needed something I couldn't give her, my complete focus. I could never cut you out of my life."

He'd tried hadn't he, and spent the rest of the day angry and hurting for multiple reasons and ended up realising he couldn't just toss Dex aside. She was too much a part of his life. And he had to talk to her about that.

"And there's you and Hoffman," Grey said, trying to sound offhand. He'd tried to pretend that there was no jealousy from his side over that but Hoffman wasn't like some of the other people Dex had flirted with; he seemed like someone who could handle Dex's idiosyncrasies, who'd be good for her, someone she could build a real relationship with. It had bothered Grey more than it should have.

"I think that's over," Dex told him. "He prizes loyalty and honesty and I think I screwed it up too much. If we can stay friends then I want that, badly. But I don't think he can get past what I did, even if it wasn't exactly what he thinks it was. Thought it was?"

She was getting off track so Grey said, "Okay. But you still need to have that conversation with him."

"Yeah." She drained her glass. "But after that?"

"We can talk, if you want to."

"Just talk?" Dex gave him a mischievous grin.

"Dex..." But his protest was a facade and he let her climb onto his lap and kiss him, long and hard. For so long he hadn't dared admit this was what he wanted but there was no denying it now.

*

Dex's neatly made bed did not stay neatly made for long, but a little chaos, a little bit of complication and messiness, was what made life worth living. 


End file.
